Oakland Chinatown Looks for New Leaders to Survive — Fear of Crime a Top Priority

OAKLAND, Calif. – When Charlene Wang visited Oakland’s Chinatown recently, she was greeted with a racial epithet and then chased by a vehicle that forced her to leap out of harm’s way. “Oakland is at the epicenter of anti-Asian hate,” she said.

Kanitha Matoury has been robbed four times and is struggling to keep her small business in the area insured due to the high crime rate. “Nothing is working here.”

The pair are among six candidates vying to represent District 2—which includes Chinatown—on the Oakland City Council in a special election slated for April 15. The winner will represent one of the nation’s most diverse communities and one desperate to turn the page on the past few years.